Mind the Gap

There has always been a need to bridge the information gap between pre- and post-hire activities and systems. Until someone accepts a job offer, there is information that employers are legally not allowed to collect, such as birthdates, martial status or a Social Security Number. Even the information that companies are allowed to collect may not be true and accurate at the time of hire. For example, employees may relocate and subsequently their contact information becomes incorrect. Or job applicants may apply with a name other than their ‘legal’ name. These are just some of the issues that interfere with the integration of data from one system to another.

Companies need to ensure that employee information is complete, true and accurate at the time of hire and it’s best to do this before this information is recorded in permanent systems like payroll. Many have had the unfortunate experience of inaccurate data being propagated throughout enterprise systems and know how difficult this is to correct.

The traditional way to collect information has been to have employees fill in new hire paperwork on their first day or have the paperwork mailed to them ahead of time so they can bring completed documents with them. Many companies have since moved to online forms. This is a positive step forward, but it still leaves the complexity and confusion of having to navigate through a maze of forms and fill in required fields. Hav ing spoken with employees that have completed their new hire documents online , it seems it is often easier to print out the forms and complete them by hand. This is exactly what we don’t want. 

If you have ever used Turbo-tax, you are probably familiar with its ease of use in getting through the complex tax-filing process.  I doubt very much if Turbo-tax would be anywhere near as popular as it is today if you had to weed through a series of online forms. Such a concept, applied to Onboarding, accommodates the complexities that surround the collection, verification and integration of employee data.

Th e next generation beyond online forms is an intelligent interview wizard that steps an employee through a series of questions , which is then used to complete a new hire document package automatically. This method of ‘smart form ’ data collection presents a user-friendly experience and ensures the data is accurate and based on an individual’s unique situation. For example, when filling in the I-9 form, the wizard will ask and check for a properly formatted alien number. When completing the direct deposit section, the wizard performs a background calculation to determine if the ABA routing number is valid. Logic can be added that determines whether you even have to complete a particular form or a set of forms. The application can also produce configurable notifications and reminders for a new hire and HR personnel to help keep the entire process on track. These are just a few benefits of using an intelligent wizard to complete required documents.

So how can we bridge the gap between pre- and post-hire systems? By simplif ying the way in which we collect new hire data and improve reliability and transferability of that data, so the Onboarding experience for both new employees and HR personnel is overwhelmingly positive from the beginning.

Pat Brown is the President and founder of HRWorX, an innovative technology company that provides enterprise data collection and processing solutions. Before launching HRWorX, Brown managed the most profitable division of Workforce Technologies, leading a team of highly skilled specialists who were responsible for delivering several HR software programs for the Department of Defense, NASA and other key accounts.